Secret Gardens, Shadows and 60-Foot Facades: VDDAC Looks at the New Kimco Proposal

On Thursday, Apr. 4, the Architectural Review Board/Village District Design Advisory Committee held a pre-application hearing with Kimco over the latest designs in its proposed redevelopment of 21-23 River Rd. in Wilton Center. Together, the two new buildings are expected to feature 169 apartments, 120,000 square feet of office space, and 10,000 square feet of retail or restaurants.  

The designs presented were virtually identical to those shown to the Planning and Zoning Commission in February and ARB/VDDAC itself last month. Casey Healy of Gregory & Adams, who is representing Kimco, explained that they wanted to return to the group for an additional discussion because one member of ARB/VDDAC, Sam Gardner, was not present for the March discussion. Gardner served on the subcommittee that led the master plan process for Wilton Center and helped craft the new zoning regulations toward which Kimco is now designing.

Gardner responded to the presentation with overall praise. He summed up his thoughts toward the end of the evening by saying, “The site plan is strong — it’s working.” However, he also encouraged Kimco to explore ways to activate the inner courtyard located between the two proposed buildings, a space he referred to at one point as “a secret garden.”

The site’s relationship to River Road and its neighbors across the street — Schenck’s Island and the Norwalk River — was the subject of several comments, both pro and con. Gardner praised the plan for “valuing landscape and mature trees,” saying it struck a nice balance with the opposite side of the street. Commissioner Kathy Poirier, however, reiterated an earlier point she made last month about the orientation of the site and the impact it will have on the shadows cast by the new structure.

“I want to re-up my comment that this is the north side of the building and the south is opposite so that 60-foot building is going to cast a shadow pretty much all day long on this road we’re looking at,” she said. “I always feel like we’re not getting the true sun-path when you show us these images.”

The renderings provided by Kimco show River Rd. in full sun, despite the presence of the proposed structure. In general, shadows are longest during sunrise and sunset hours, and at their shortest at noon. In winter, shadows extend farther than in other seasons due to the sun’s position. As a point of reference, Western Connecticut Council of Governments (WestCOG) estimates that a 1-meter tall pole in Wilton would cast a shadow 2.11 meters long at noon on Dec. 21, the winter solstice.

Nicholas Brown, Vice President of Development for Kimco clarified that only three residential units rise to 60 feet off ground level. The remaining rooflines only extend 40-50 feet above the street. These three units feature an 18-foot lofted space and private balconies overlooking the main plaza in front of the site and beyond that, the Norwalk River. The bonus loft level is set back 10 feet from the façade at the lower levels.

Later in the discussion, ARB/VDDAC Member John Doyle expressed concern about the overall height.

“I definitely think 60 feet is going to weigh heavily. For me that scale is just too high,” he said, adding that he thought the design looked a bit generic but that “with a little TLC” it might come together.

Brown warned that eliminating the lofted area could lead to the kind of monotonous street wall that the new Wilton Center zoning overlay discourages. Gardner suggested that the Kimco team consider options to add articulation to the lofted 60-foot height section to help soften it.

The meeting concluded with a somewhat convoluted discussion of the relationship between Wednesday night’s ARB/VDDAC conversation, Kimco’s pre-application hearing at P&Z in February, and the ultimate application that has yet to be filed. Healy conveyed his understanding from discussions with Town Planner Michael Wrinn that no formal report from ARB/VDDAC to P&Z is needed at this time. Kimco will return to ARB/VDDAC after submitting final designs and application materials to P&Z. At that point, ARB/VDDAC would submit a report to P&Z summarizing their thoughts and recommendations.

Although several speakers referenced that this specific pre-application proposal coming to ARB/VDDAC and P&Z for the first time, the redevelopment of 21-23 River Rd. is in fact on its fifth round of pre-application hearings since 2021. Prior designs can be viewed below.

Looking Ahead

The next meeting of the Architectural Review Board/Village District Design Advisory Committee is scheduled for Thursday, May 2. At the outset of the Apr. 5 meeting, the group voted on its officers for the new term. Kevin Quinlan was elected Chair and Sam Gardner was reelected Vice Chair. Both votes were unanimous.

In February and March of this year, the Planning & Zoning Commission debated the future role of these joint advisory boards and ultimately declined to reappoint the longtime ARB/VDDAC Chair Rob Sanders. The Commission also previewed that it would explore outsourcing design review to an independent paid consultant.